I'm Here
by Kataang's-Loyal-Devoted-Slave
Summary: Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Toph are all in the woods, when some horrible news reaches them. Can Katara and Sokka over come the sadness, and will Aang and Katara finally admit thier true feelings? Read to find out! Rated T for angst and a future...content..x


**_Hello everyone. I'm back…and…Still have no idea what to write for The Game…So…For any of you people reading this who are also in the middle of my other story, The Game…I'm sorry…I'm working on it. This Fan fiction is just a little thing to hold some of my fans over until I am able to kill my writers block and continue my other story. BTW…This story takes place after Season Two. Aang and the Gaang are on their way to Ba Sing Se to free Iroh, and try and stop Azula and Zuko again. They had stopped for a rest the night before, and now, it is morning. So, without further a due, I give you, I'm Here._**

_**Aang: KLDS…Don't make me go Avatar state on your ass….**_

_**Me: Look, I'm sorry I haven't updated my other stories in a while, bu-**_

_**Katara: NO! No excuses! Get your fingers on the keyboard and write, darn it!! (Grabs her water) Or do I have to force it out of you?**_

_**Me: O.O!!...Oh mother of God…**_

_**Katara: That's what I thought…now…MOVE!!!**_

**_Me: I'm going! I'm going! (Types furiously)_**

_**Aang:…And that, Katara…is one of the many reasons I love you….**_

**_Katara: (Giggle)  
_**

**_0-0-0-0-0((Third ::Katara:: POV))_**

Katara awoke to the guttural groan of a giant flying bison. Though this would most likely be a startling and odd awakening for most people, Katara had grown quite used to the mammoth mammal's morning mumblings. **_((A/N: I love alliteration…))_** The Waterbending master's mouth twitched into a very slight smile, her cerulean hues still hidden behind her closed eyelids. Another groan reached Katara's ears, though this time, it was not the majestic, earth-rumbling moan that vibrated so beautifully out of Appa's chest. It was, in fact, one of the most annoying sounds that was forced into contact with her ear drums. Sokka was being awoken. Katara released a perturbed little huff, then finally allowed her eyelashes to part, revealing a brilliantly colored morning sky, the very tip of the sun just then finding its way over the towering pines. Katara rose onto her elbows, balancing her weight on them precariously. She drew in a rather deep breath, the smile that had been lurking under her lips ever since her rousing spreading smoothly across her face. _This day…is going to be perfect…_She thought her herself, feeling more optimistic than she had ever since… Her smile morphed instantaneously into a light frown, her jaw clenching rather tightly. Her azure orbs traveled over to the spot Aang had been sleeping the night before, and, seeing him snoozing in the same place, relaxed a bit, licking her lips lightly. It had been about two weeks since the unthinkable…Since Azula had focused a lightening strike upon Aang's back…Since he had almost died…Katara shivered, her hands clasping together tightly. For the past fourteen days, the Waterbender had attempted to keep her mind off of that dreadful night, but alas, every time she looked at Aang, she saw not his happy go lucky grin, but his agonized and incredibly pained expression. The one that he wore when the powerful bolt had almost zapped the life out of him…

**_0-0-0-0 ((Third ::Aang:: POV))_**

Aang's drew in his breath sharply, his gray irises contracting along with his pupils in fear. _Oh…not again…_The young boy sighed lightly, wrapping his shaking arms around his knees. He had had the same reoccurring dream every night for the past two weeks…the lightening…the darkness…Aang shuddered, biting his bottom lip a bit.

"Aang? Aang are you alright?" he heard Katara's voice drift through his ears, then smiled slightly. _Katara…She was the only good thing that came out of the lightening…Her…Holding me so close. _Aang looked toward her now, his eyes coming in contact with hers.

"I'm…fine…" He said softly, his voice cracking a bit. He cleared his throat, and Katara attempted to suppress a giggle. He grinned boyishly at her, then rose from his sleeping bag, stretching his arms as he did.

_**0-0-0-0((Omniscient POV))**_

Katara's eyes scanned quickly over Aang's now sun-drenched body, mapping out the more shaded parts of his arms due to the dips in his muscles. She quirked an eyebrow at the boy, though, inside, her heart was thudding a bit more rapidly than usual. She cleared her throat and looked away, "busying" herself with rolling up her sleeping bag. To her left she heard Sokka grumble again, then a yelp as Toph kicked his side.

"Wake up, Snoozles…Azula could still be on our trail…" Sokka mumbled incoherently in reply. Toph growled, her hands clenching into tight fists.

"I'll give you to the count of five…"she hissed, her teeth clenched together. Sokka looked up at her, his eyes blinking lazily.

"What makes you thi-"

"One…" Toph interrupted, still glaring, obviously vexed. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"You can't just come over here an-"

"Two…" Toph cracked her knuckles, staring blindly down at where she thought Sokka's eyes would be.

"Toph! What's your problem!! I'm on-"

"Three…" her lips pursed together, her right leg moving backward to stance herself. Sokka now attempted to rise from his sleeping bag, but his feet became helplessly tangled in the sheets.

"Tooooph!! I'm-"

"Four…" Toph raised her hand, seeming to announce Sokka's impending doom to him. Sokka panicked.

"Toph please! I'm stuc-" Toph smirked at him, scoffing at him through her expression.

"Five…" Just as Toph was about to deliver a mound of hard rock to that of Sokka's face, he leapt to his feet, breathing wildly.

"I'm up!! Jeez…" Toph grinned slightly at his trepidation.

"Snoozles…You're too much…" she shook her head, her ebony locks flipping lightly as she did. "You act all tough…But you're scared of a girl…" She chuckled, and walked off, leaving Sokka in a temporary state of shock.

Katara chuckled under her breath at her brother, having heard the entire conversation, then allowed her eyes to travel back to the form of Aang, who was also having a slight laughing fit.

"That…was good…" he managed to say through his laughter, attempting to pull a shirt over his head all the while. Katara giggled a bit harder, and shook her head, grasping the bottom hem and yanking it down over his bald scalp.

"There…It seems that shirt is getting a bit too small for you…I'll hem it while we fly today…" she said, biting her lower lip softly. Aang nodded to her, then busied himself with the task of packing up camp. Katara did so as well, her dexterous fingers swimming nimbly through the ties of the tents, untying the knots and allowing the canvas to fall to the ground around her. She then rolled the material into small cylinders, and set them on Appa's back. Meanwhile, Aang gathered all the excess sleeping bags and debris that was spread around the camp, then cleared away any traces of a fire.

"Alright…Time to hit the skies…" Aang said whimsically, motioning for his gaang to climb aboard the giant bison. After Toph, Sokka, Katara and himself were all atop Appa, he chirped the words "yip yip," and sent them hurtling into the clouds.

"Whoa!!! Wait a second!!!!" Katara heard a faint yell from below, and glanced to the ground. It was an earth kingdom messenger on an ostrich-horse, speeding along after the bison.

"Aang! Stop! Land!" Katara shouted to the boy, who nodded and yanked on Appa's reigns, and moved them to land once again. As soon as the giant mammal's feet touched the ground, the Earth kingdom man slowed next to them, holding out a scroll of paper to Aang.

"This message is for Katara and Sokka of the water tribe…" he said, his ostrich-horse's feet stamping in the dirt. Aang nodded to him rather curtly, and turned to hand the note to Katara, his eyebrows creased. The messenger, seeing he was no longer needed, kicked the animal with his heel and took off down the dirt road. Katara eyed the scroll for a moment in her hands, before untying the string and allowing the paper to fall loose. She read for a moment, gasped, then threw the paper to Sokka, her eyes already spilling over with tears. Aang gaped at her for a moment, then reached out to her.

"Katara…wha-"

"No! Aang don't touch me!! Leave me alone!!" she screamed at him, her voice cracking with sobs. In less than a second, she had jumped off of Appa's back, and was hurtling into the forest, her tears splashing the dirt behind her as she ran. Aang threw his attention to Sokka, who was staring gravely at the piece of paper, tears sliding silently down his dark cheeks.

"Sokka…what's going on?" he asked quietly, attempting not to upset the boy. Sokka shook his head, and thrust the paper in Aang's direction. Aang hesitated for a second, then took it, scanning the lines.

**Katara and Sokka (Children of Hakoda)**

**We regret to inform you of your father untimely passing. During a Fire Nation raid to the Earth Kingdom, he was shot and killed on contact with a Fire Nation spear. It is very unfortunate that we have to tell you in su-**

Aang stopped reading, his mouth hanging agape. He blinked a few times, staring at the letter.

"S-Sokka…I…I'm so sorr-" Sokka interrupted, his teeth clenched together tightly.

"My sister needs you right now. Not me. Go." He waved Aang off into the woods, silent sobs wracking his frame. Aang nodded, and poked Toph lightly, telling her to do her best to help him. The Airbender then took off into the woods on his glider, scanning the forest below for Katara.

_**0-0-0-0((Katara's POV- Third person))**_

_No…no, no, no, no, no…Why does it always turn out like this? Why must everyone I love die?_ Katara stumbled over a stone that was jutting out from the dirt, falling to the ground. _First my mother, now my father…Soon Gran Gran…What if Sokka dies next?...Or…What about Aang?_ Katara just laid there her heavy sobs convulsing her small frame violently. Her usually vibrant, bright eyes that were filled with vitality and vigor lost their energy, and only tears lit her irises. She attempted to breath, but her desperate wails swallowed her up, making it hard for her to draw in breath. _Aang…Why must he torture me so? Does he not know that I love him? Or does he choose to ignore it? Just so he can pretend that I don't have feelings for him…WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT AANG??_ She screamed at herself, her fingers grasping and tugging at her hair, trying to escape the intense pain in her heart, the pain that was ripping at her very soul. _Because you always do…_Her mind answered for her. She wept a bit louder, feeling as though her heart would, in all actuality, split in two.

"I can't take this any more!" she shrieked aloud. "I have too much on my chest right now to be thinking about my love for someone I can never have…My love for the damn Avatar!" she screamed this into the dirt, then slumped further to the ground in a bout of uncontrollable lament, her tears mixing the sand below her into mud. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and spun around, her eyes wild and red. Looking down at her was the very boy she loved. She gasped, tears re-blurring her vision.

"A-Aang…" she said, attempting to steady her sobs. He smiled very lightly at her, then, unexpectedly, ducked low, and held her in his arms. She drew in breath quickly, feeling his warm, comforting presence on her front. Her chest convulsed a few times, her crying appearing not to have ceased. Aang ran a hand through her now unbraided, chocolate hair, pulling her a bit closer.

"Shhh…I'm here Katara…I'm here…" Katara reached a hand around Aang's shoulder, and began to wipe her eyes, sniffling softly. He felt this, and pulled away from her, taking her hand in his.

"Here…let me…" his eyes seemed to smile at her, his own hand coming up and wiping away the stinging salt water from her lids. She couldn't help but crack a small smile, more tears leaking out from the corners of her cerulean hues. Suddenly, a thought popped into Katara's mind. _Did he…Did he hear me?_ She asked herself, thinking back to minutes before, where she had loudly confessed her love for him into the dirt. She cleared her throat lightly, and turned her eyes away from his gaze, rubbing her arm self-consciously. Aang frowned, and brought his hand down from her upper cheek, and down to her chin, tilting her face up to meet his grayish eyes once again. Katara's hand shook slightly, a bit unnerved by the Avatar's show of affection. _Is he toying with me? If so, how could he be so cruel…To mess with my heart right afte-_ Aang interrupted her though process with three simple words…

"I heard you…" and finished with five complex ones. "And I love you too."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

**GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! –Coughs-…Erm…Sorry about that…I had to do my infamous "cliff hanger laugh"…-Glances around-…Er…I promise to update soon!!! And I also promise waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more fluff in the next chappie…I realize that this one was rather…DEPRESSING! –Attempts to hold back the explosion of fluff that threatens to burst out of her keyboard- Nuuu! Stay!...Well…Alright…-Fluff explodes and it forms to be the next chappie- YAY FLUFFSPLOSION! –Runs away cackling weirdly-**

**Katara: -Advances on me with water whip at the ready- You killed my father!**

**Me:..No…Katara…-takes off mask- I AM YOUR FATHER!!! O.O;;**

**Katara:…-eye twitches-…T-that's…your skull…**

**Me: -Looks down at my grotesque, bloody skull-…Er…Whoops…Wrong skin…Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! –Runs away screaming-**

**Katara: Get back here bitch!!!! –Follows, whipping my backside repeatedly-**

**Aang:…Mmmm….Kinkeh!! (xDD)**


End file.
